After you’ve prospected and built up your sales and your database, you need to maximize the return on each of your customers. But how do you extend the lifetime value of a newly acquired customer or good customer? What do you do when they stop ordering from you? How do you know the right moment to send them a new offer?
Using lifestyle transactional data may help improve response rates. Consumer lifestyle changes, such as a new address, new baby, new phone number, newly issued credit card, and other mail order buyer indicators can be captured and segmented on a weekly or monthly basis.
New database offerings featuring timely and accurate data can help predict when a customer is more likely to respond to an offer. For instance, transactional data such as a new phone connect or new address indicates a change and a “trigger” event for your customer. Consumers that have recently moved are typically in the market for a multitude of new products, so it’s a good time to mail to hem.
Sending your offer shortly after a life change/trigger event has occurred can get you in the door first, resulting in a higher response rate and an increase in the average dollars spent. Being among the first with a relevant offer is key, and using transactional databases with weekly and monthly updates can help you accomplish this.
Mark Traverso is vice president list management, new business and e-commerce for Pompano Beach, FL-based Lighthouse List Co. and Michele Volpe is vice president sales and marketing for Plantation, FL-based marketing services firm Media Source Solutions.